Microsoft extends support for Windows XP home editions

[mulligan]

Microsoft extends support for Windows XP home editions

UPDATED: 17:45, January 25, 2007

Microsoft announced an addition of extended 5-year customer support phase for its two versions of Windows XP operating system, media reports Thursday quoted the company as saying.

Previously, all support for Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Media Center Edition operating systems was slated to end two years after the release of Vista, in other words, at the end of January 2009. The company will launch Windows Vista and Office 2007 for consumers on Jan. 29, 2007 into market.

"Microsoft has listened to customer feedback and realized that providing security patches for Windows XP Professional, and not extending that support to the XP Home and XP Media Center Editions, was not a consistent approach," a company representative said. "Microsoft is currently making the change for Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Media Center Edition only, and it is taking additional time to evaluate a permanent policy change that would apply to all consumer operating system versions."

The extended support, which kicks in after April 2009, will bring the two products on par with Microsoft's Windows XP Professional for businesses. Microsoft previously reserved its 5-year extended support feature to only enterprise-grade products.

For the software giant, extending its customer support phase is nothing new. Microsoft extended support for Windows 98, Windows 98 SE and Windows ME by two years, with assistance ending in 2006, media reported.